IT sector: Not so bad after all

Three-quarters of IT professionals would recommend an IT career to their children, a survey by careers website The IT Job Board has found.

Bucking the current, gloomy economic outlook caused by the sub-prime lending crisis in the US, the majority of IT professionals are also relatively upbeat about the technology industry and their future careers, the survey found. Sixty-nine per cent of the 956 survey respondents said their company's market position was "somewhat secure" or "very secure".

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As for pay increases, 70 per cent of respondents said they expected one in the coming year, although 54 per cent expected their salary to rise "only slightly". A quarter thought their salary would remain the same, while two per cent predicted their salary would decrease. The IT Job Board said that the overall outlook for IT careers was positive.

Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, said: "The overriding conclusion of the research is that the IT sector is perceived to be a rewarding industry in which to work. Despite the currently gloomy predictions, the IT sector also appears to be holding up well to the newly tough economic climate."

However, the survey also showed up age and gender imbalances in the IT profession. The respondents who felt most secure in their jobs were all under 40 years old, while only 13 per cent of respondents were female, reflecting the gender divide in IT.

Female respondents were most likely to respect colleagues who had an IT-related degree, with 34 per cent saying they would "somewhat agree" that the colleagues they most respected had a relevant qualification. Men had less respect for such qualifications: 35 per cent of respondents said they "somewhat disagree" with the statement: "The technology professionals I respect most generally have a relevant university degree".

Turnover in the IT sector also seems to be high, according to the survey results, although, for the majority of respondents, moving jobs is a voluntary process. Sixty-two per cent of respondents have been in their current role for two years or less, while 81 per cent have been in their job for five years or less. This could reflect the make-up of the respondents, however: 30 per cent were IT consultants.

Original article: Most techies would recommend IT career to offspring from ZDNet UK